Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Felipe

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,106 in San Felipe, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
Learn more

San Felipe Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Felipe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in San Felipe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,106 in San Felipe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
San Felipe $1,106

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,777 in San Felipe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
San Felipe $1,777

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,448 in San Felipe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
San Felipe $2,448

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than San Felipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and San Felipe are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, San Felipe 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.35 MX$136

-68.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$43.63 MX$806

-54.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.27 MX$153

-32.16%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.49 MX$64.4

-52.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.35 MX$24.91

-48.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.05 MX$19.41

-70.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.45 MX$45.34

-1.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.10 MX$75.8

-9.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.64 MX$30.38

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.54 MX$46.89

-44.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.72 MX$31.80

-23.84%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.53 MX$46.82

-13.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.42 MX$156

97.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.46 MX$156

-67.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.72 MX$217

-22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.67 MX$49.26

-10.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.53 MX$28.23

-32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.89 MX$35.02

-13.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.83 MX$33.76

-18.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.99 MX$36.84

-35.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.87 MX$34.64

-40.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.43 MX$26.39

-49.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.08 MX$20.02

-50.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.50 MX$83.1

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$10.26 MX$190

74.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.75 MX$32.42

-9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.07 MX$56.8

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.63 MX$11.65

36.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.63 MX$48.65

-53.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.93 MX$35.73

-70.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$11.06 MX$204

-78.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.45 MX$26.73

-0.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.4K MX$395.3K

-3.10%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$24.5K MX$452.2K

9.51%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.3 ฿2,083

$57.9 MX$1,070

7.65%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.11 ฿405

$23.12 MX$427

-47.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$29.50 MX$545

-32.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$33.66 MX$622

10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$20.47 MX$378

-81.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.36 MX$99.0

21.27%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$793 ฿26.5K

$219 MX$4,051

261.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$4,580 MX$84.6K

223.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$54.2 MX$1,002

-0.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$40.18 MX$742

-38.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$99.7 MX$1,842

-8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$90.0 MX$1,662

-20.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$617 MX$11.4K

-26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$389 MX$7,184

-23.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,059 MX$19.6K

-14.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$757 MX$14.0K

-26.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,934 MX$35.7K

-0.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,147 MX$21.2K

25.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.3

-50.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

San Felipe

$389 35.1% 30.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

San Felipe

$265 23.9% 12.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

San Felipe

$128 11.6% 18.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

San Felipe

$111 10% 17.1% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

San Felipe

$156 14.1% 97.9% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3% 75.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

San Felipe

$44 4% 11.4% $5.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $617 in San Felipe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $44.00 in San Felipe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $265 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

07:17 7:17 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

28,452

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Felipe 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Felipe

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chiang Mai vs San Felipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Felipe costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,660 in San Felipe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $44.00 in San Felipe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in San Felipe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in San Felipe at $1,106. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Felipe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,106 in San Felipe. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Felipe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.